Them
by IAMWHATIAMANDIWILLNOTCHANGEFORTHESAKEOFANOPINION
Summary: A man goes for a walk and accidently stumbles across a herd of semi large lizards and finds out that it was a mistake discovering these creatures.


**Chapter 1**

As he walked across the wide-open field, James Dorwen looked down at the ground to see where he was stepping. For the fog lay thick that morning. He lived in the deep woods of Montana, a beautiful place for walking. He usually walked with his dog, Josie, every morning, but for some reason or the other his dog wouldn't come out the door. Perhaps she's getting too old. James loved the morning air and the feel of the wet, cold grass on his legs. He loved the wildlife, the smell of the trees, and the sensation of the sun as it peeked over the tops of the hills and trees. 

**James was 37 years old, and usually worked, mostly freelance, but he took the summer off to finish up school. He was studying to be a photographer. So therefore everywhere he went, so did his camera. He was hoping by the end of next month he would be able to go on some kind of expedition to take some pictures. But for the time being he would use the scenery around him.**

As he walked through the tall grass, towards the light of the sun, he noticed an odd stench. He walked a few feet further and noticed it got stronger. It was almost unbearable. His next step took him stumbling towards the ground. As he hit the ground he accidentally took a deep breathe in and immediately covered his nose with both of his hands. He sat up and looked around. He noticed that the grass around him had been torn up and rustled about. He managed to get upon his feet, keeping a hand over his nose. James could see more standing up. Large green things, about two feet long. They looked like over grown lizards. He bent down to examine this creature closer. His finger gently pushed into the skin. It was soft and spongy like. He raised his head to see another one just like it, lying next to the other one. Again he stood up to see another, and another. At least eight or nine of them strung out within a five-foot radius. They hadn't been dead too long because they still looked fresh. He wondered if there were any else where in the field. He walked toward the forest. Then he stopped in front of a tree. Another one of theses lizards, he thought. Its head was crushed, apparently from running into the tree. James, starting to get spooked, walked back towards the direction of his house. "Maybe I should call someone. There has to be an explanation." James stopped as soon as he heard a loud bang. He gave loud yell and within a split second he fell to the ground. The pain of the bullet in his hip was nauseating. He had never felt so much pain in his life. Everything around him started to get blurry. James could barely hear the voices of two men conversing with each other. "Is he dead?" said one of the voices. The voices seemed to be getting closer. James could now hear their footsteps. He stayed as still as possible. "Yea." Said one reassuring the other. "Nobody could've survived that shot. It was a shot perfect in the back. It doesn't look like he's breathing." "You're right. Let's get out of here." Now the voices were farther away. James tried to focus on his vision, but the pain was too much for him to handle. He lied there for a moment. "I'm not going to die here." He thought. Ignoring the pain in his left hip, he started crawling but the pain and the smell was hard to ignore. He tried once more to sit up. Just then he remembered his camera. With a few moans he managed to crawl over to the closest lizard. He snapped a few shots and put the camera in its case. He stood up using all the strength left in him and tried walking. He limped a few feet and then stopped a moment. "This is going to be a long trip." He thought.   
Back at James' house, a vehicle was coming up the driveway. It was his girl friend, Carrie. They had been together for about two years now and were planning on getting married some time next year, after they both finished school. She worked for the Conservation Department for several months, and was coming home for a break. She walked into the house and noticed a note on the refrigerator door. It read: Out walking. Josie didn't come with me. I'll be back soon. Love you, James. Carrie walked over to the dog bed but Josie wasn't there. Then she looked at the dog door and saw that it wasn't latched. "Oh no." she thought as she opened the door. She looked around and saw Josie by something lying in the field. She ran down there as fast as she could. As she got closer she heard the dog barking then it ran towards her. She then realized that it was a person in the field. It was James. "James!" she yelled. But there was no movement. She knelt next to him to see that he was still alive. She pressed her fingers on his wrist to check his pulse. It was very slow. So many questions were running through her mind but the first one that she asked was, "Can you stand up and put your arm around my neck?" He nodded his head yes. He sat up with the help up Carrie and swung his arm around her neck and they both stood up and started walking slowly towards the house. It took them well over a half an hour to reach the house. Carrie placed him on the couch and tried to find his wound. When she found it she said to James, "This looks like a gun shot. What happened?" 


End file.
